Posted on 12/20/2024 4:03:09 PM PST by nickcarraway
Released in 1965, the record was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
The Mamas & The Papas’ classic 1965 version of “California Dreamin’” has joined Spotify’s Billions Club. It’s the seminal California band’s first time achieving the milestone.
The group, fronted by Mama Cass, originally sang backup on the song, first released in 1963 by Barry McGuire. But their version would go on to endure as one of the most popular hits of the era.
‘Jingle Bell Rock’: Bobby Helms’ Rockin’ Christmas Classic Cara Delevingne Stars As Elton John In New ‘Step Into Christmas’ Video US Battle Royal, Christmas 1964: The Supremes Vs. The Beatles Christmas Music 2024 Playlist The Mamas & The Papas "California Dreamin'" (September 24, 1967) On The Ed Sullivan Show
Click to load video Although “California Dreamin’” was released as a single in late 1965, it wouldn’t break through on the charts until 1966, after gaining some traction off Boston radio play. At the opening of the song, some of McGuire’s vocals are even still slightly audible.
The Billions Club certification is the latest in a long list of accolades achieved by the song since its release. The track has been certified three-times Platinum by the RIAA, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In Rolling Stone’s 2021 ranking of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” “California Dreamin’” came in at number 420.
Beyond the numbers, “California Dreamin’” has also left a notable cultural footprint. The song features as a prominent plot point in Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s 1994 film Chungking Express. A popular Beach Boys cover of the track also appears, more recently, in the Netflix series Stranger Things, the streaming platforms most-watched original series of all time. In addition to The Beach Boys, the song has also been covered by the band America, the German DJ Freischwimmer, and the Puerto Rican singer José Feliciano.
What does Billions Club mean? Eight paragraphs in and I still don’t know.
“Eating or drinking Banana, is bound to be the very next phase!”
“She’s talked about how lucky she was when she was asked to help with the song.”
Well, I guess “luck” was when 16 year-old “Holly” quit high school, moved to San Francisco and met the right 26-year-old, married troubadour.
I think it means a billion views on YouTube.
Sorry, it’s one billion streams on Spotify.
“Lee Moses’ version is way better.”
https://youtu.be/wHfF0yXKDHc?feature=shared
Ain’t that the truth!
“What does Billions Club mean? Eight paragraphs in and I still don’t know.”
Numerically there is a million seconds in 11 days. To reach a billion seconds it would take 31 years.
Mama Cass was just a backup singer in this song. Denny Doherty was the lead. John Phillips and Michelle wrote it. And Michelle should get most of the credit for being amazingly beautiful. This song was one of the least attributable to Mama Cass of all the Mamas and Papas songs.
We like both versions. Depends on the mood. Come together by Beatles I don’t like but Godsmack version is alright. I remember watching a pro-Trump video that featured the tune during the 2016 election cycle.
Johnny Cash - Hurt certainly fits the bill.
It is rather suggestive isn’t it?
“Johnny Cash - Hurt”
Another cover that is far superior to the original...and, with the video, truly extraordinary in its’ own right.
Yeah, I noticed that too - but it was Rolling Stone’s picks, so I took it with a grain of salt.
We’re big Weird Al fans in this household, too. ;)
Check out Radio Garden. Very, VERY cool for world-wide music stations.
https://radio.garden/playlist/global-jukebox/EsXWQHxx
Meant to ping you to Post #54. :)
I didn’t read it either but I presumed it meant that song had been streamed 1 billion times, around the world. They have over 400 million active user accounts so it’s possible some very popular songs reach 1 billion plays worldwide. People put it on their playlists, and maybe some corporate accounts (restaurants, mall stores etc) have it in rotation too. Some people just let Spotify build a playlist or play random selections based on the songs you already played and the songs other people with similar song preferences play as well, so there’s probably a bunch of yacht rock style playlists that just add that song in.
I don’t know how much Spotify pays for each song they play, probably fractions of a penny per play but at a billion plays it comes to a lot of money. If the algorithm likes your song I suppose you make big bucks. Apparently the YMCA writer has made millions since Trump used it on the campaign trail (public play licensing fee is much more than a penny) but also other users have been playing it. Making TikTok’s and the like.
Been to four of his concerts (with the kids, who are massive fans, husband was too). He used to appear regularly at the Orange County Fair in the summer - now his concerts are fewer and further between.
He’s coming to Los Angeles at the end of the summer - we noticed some of the concerts in the mid-west are already sold out - may be due to scalpers buying up the stock, won’t be the first time. There are still tickets available here so I asked my son to snag some for us.
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